What does the lemon juice in pie recipes do for the pie? Can I do without?

Question

Making a New Year's feast for the family lol, would appreciate your advice!!!

Sorry guys lol it's a no bake cream cheese pie with strawberry pie filling. Refrigerate to set.

It's 1/3 a cup to add. The other ingredient is sweetened condensed milk and i read elsewhere it needs an acidic fruit juice such as lemon juice to activate it's thickening powers :S great news for me lol is this true?

Answer 1

Lemon juice just cuts some of the cloying sweetness from the pie......you can also use vinegar with the same results......If you're without lemon or vinegar, just skip it.....it will be fine......

Christopher

ADDENDUM:

Yes, you'll need the 1/3 cup of lemon juice to react with the sweetened condensed milk, it will, in essence, curdle the milk so that the pie "sets up" and is solid once refrigerated.....
good luck, interesting recipe to say the least!! Happy New Year!!

Christopher

Answer 2

I really need more information to answer this question. But, I'll take a stab at it anyway. I never use vinegar in lemon meringue pie "filling." Why would you do that? Use lemon juice and a little lemon zest. If you are talking about cream of tartar in the meringue you don't need it nor would you need to use lemon juice. Here's an easy No Fail meringue recipe that I've used for many years. NO FAIL PIE MERINGUE 1 tbsp. cornstarch 2 tbsp. cold water 1/2 c. boiling water 3 egg whites 6 tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Pinch of salt Blend cornstarch and cold water in a saucepan. Add boiling water and cook, stirring until clear and thickened. Let stand until completely cold. With electric mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beat until stiff (not dry). Turn mixer to low speed and add salt and vanilla. Gradually beat in the cold cornstarch mixture. Beat all at high speed and beat well. Spread meringue over cool pie filling and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.

Answer 3

You could try orange juice or apple juice as a sub. Hope it will work just as well.

Answer 4

not sure what kind of pie it is,but
lemon juice is a natural flavour enhancer

Answer 5

What kind of pie? If it is an apple pie dont' worry about it..the lemon just keeps the apples from getting brown after slicing them. Otherwise it depends on the pie and the amount of lemon juice it calls for. My guess is if it is a small amount you can do without it.

Answer 6

sorry I've only got 11hours till !!! and you do not say where you are
you post 2 minuets ago???
here is the info..
In most cases lemon juice can be forgoten unless it is used to react with baking soda...apple pies get cooked anyway..
.

Answer 7

usually it keeps other fruits fresher, as preservitive

Answer 8

you can leave it out. mainly it is used to add another dimension to the flavor or as a preservative (such as in the apple example listed first)

Answer 9

Depends. If it's a fruit pie - like apple - the lemon juice will keep the fruit from breaking down before they're baked. You want some texture other than gunk.

Otherwise, it could just be a flavor enhancer. Without knowing what kind of pie you're making, it's hard to say.

Answer 10

What kind of pie is it and how much lemon juice is called for? I'm presuming it's not lemon meringue pie. LOL

If it's apple pie and it tells you to sprinkle the apple slices with a tablespoon or so of lemon juice, that's to keep them from browning, and won't really affect the taste too much if you leave it out.

EDITED: If it calls for 1/3 cup of lemon juice, you couldn't just leave that much out out as it would affect the texture as well as the taste.

I'd either get some lemon juice or make a different pie. Maybe this one:

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
10 ounces Cool Whip
1 box frozen strawberries
2 graham cracker pie crusts

Mix thoroughly 8 oz Cream Cheese and 1/2 cup Sugar.
Add Cool Whip.
Mix thoroughly.
Add thawed Strawberries and mix until well blended.
Pour into pie crusts.
Chill.